Who are you quoting here, Peter Pan? How is otherwise possible to get out of one's own shadow (how is it even possible to be *in* one's own shadow)? And, more importantly, how is it possible that one is the cause of a shadow and yet not able to see the light when you cause a shadow by blocking the light. How can one be blocking light and not seeing that light.

I said, "...step out of your own shadows", not "shadow". Stepping out of your own shadows is a metaphor for leaving behind the dark places in your soul (Sheese, must I tell you everything!). It's a quote from the movie Steppenwolf (one the most important lines in the movie from my perspective).

The quote that I posted was never meant as anything other than a friendly greeting to someone who is obviously a great fan of Hesse's. As I said, it is one of the most important lines in the movie Steppenwolf from my perspective and it has been a useful truism for me in my life. The quote was never meant to imply that Ladarna, in particular, had any special shadows to step out of. It is not a criticsm and it is not specific; it is a general formula through which anyone can rise above the things that drag them down and find fulfillment.

Honestly, "anonymous, it makes no sense to me", I don't remeber when I've ever written something that was so completely misunderstood by someone. And by the way, I don't believe that anyone (including Ladarna) completely leaves their shadows behind (not even the Dali Lama). Life is a work in progress of leaving your shadows behind; As long as a person still lives, they are still in the process of stepping out of their shadows.

But enough of this. My apologies Ladarna, for unintentionally subjecting you to this fairly fruitless discourse. The evisceration of metaphor is often banal and sometimes downright ugly. I guess maybe I should have quoted Peter Pan instead. Anyways, all the best.

My apologies Ladarna, for unintentionally subjecting you to this fairly fruitless discourse.

Pfft, don't apologize to me! I hardly ever think discourse fruitless. ::shrug:: It is the now and that's all that's really relevant to me -- to deem it fruitless is for me to claim to know its lack of value now and in the future. That's not to say I *never* lose patience with what I deem to be a waste of my time conversation-wise, but generally it does not happen here and it has not happened in this case.

I recognized the quote -- I am a GIANT fan of Hesse -- I just haven't had time to write more than the comment I did because I've been busy then out of town. "Hi", back! :)

I agree on the daily stepping out -- life is always learning and forgetting and learning again.

And, for what it's worth, don't take tone too negatively on here unless it's being very unavoidably meant so; if there is the possibility of misinterpreting tone, err on the side of benign because almost to an entirety, the ones who comment here are all questors and negativity is not their first natures. Questions and comments are meant sincerely - I would not want it otherwise.

Wow! I'm late on this one! And I was just about to comment to the original post:

"In my case I think it would be more likely that the higher I fly, the smaller [and so less significant] everyone else looks TO ME."

And then I realized that L would have something to say about if that was my perspective then I'd be incapable of flying in the first place due to a lack of the right mindset or something. Which, of course, led me to think "yeah, like not thinking Happy Thoughts to fly in Peter Pan".

Which, ties me into every one of these comments nicely and I didn't even plan it!

"I am the seasoned traveler
Of the Labyrinth.
The genius of alacrity,
Wizard of the impossible.
My brilliance is yet unmatched
In its originality.
My heart's filled with potent magic
That could cast a hundred spells.
I am put together
For mine own pleasure.

I am the Monkey."

Seems pretty apt.

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"My friend, every sorceress is a pragmatist at heart; nobody sees essence who can't face limitation. If I wanted only to hold you

I could hold you prisoner." -- Circe's Power, Louise Gluck

"My story is not a pleasant one; it is neither sweet nor harmonious, as invented stories are; it has the taste of nonsense and chaos, of madness and dreams -- like the lives of all men who stop deceiving themselves." -- Demian, Hermann Hesse

"The Muses are vindictive deities: they avenge themselves without mercy on those who weary of their charms." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

THE RULES: As a general rule, and most of you already know this, I prefer annonymous comments on this blog. Here is where I like to talk more "idea to idea" than person to person. I've got another journal wherein I get all personally chatty, but here I like the idea of ideas being separate from the contructs/biases/"personalities" behind them. Because those things color us all, don't they? Anyway, it's not a hard and fast rule, so feel free to comment however you like. Caro can never help giving herself away and, of course, Aspyre is always welcome to comment with identity because when Ladarna and Aspyre talk, it has always been idea to idea anyway. :)